With iCloud, the music you buy from the iTunes Store automatically appears on all your devices.1 And for music you haven’t purchased from iTunes, iTunes Match is the perfect solution. iTunes Match is built into iTunes on your computer and the Music app on your iOS devices.2 It lets you store your entire collection in iCloud, even music you’ve imported from CDs or purchased somewhere other than iTunes. When it’s in iCloud, it’s available on all your devices. So you can enjoy all your music anywhere, anytime — on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, PC or Apple TV.

iTunes determines which songs in your collection are available in the iTunes Store. Any music with a match is automatically added to iCloud for you to listen to anytime, on any device. Since there are more than 37 million songs in the iTunes Store, chances are your music is already in iCloud.3 And for the few songs that aren’t, iTunes uploads what it can’t match (which is much faster than uploading your entire music library). Even better, all the music iTunes matches plays back from iCloud at 256-Kbps AAC DRM-free quality — even if your original copy was of lower quality.

Once your music is in iCloud, you can play it from any of your devices. Just browse the complete list of all your music stored in the cloud and tap to play it. You can store up to 25,000 songs in iCloud (more if songs are purchased from the iTunes Store), but only what you play or download is stored on your device. Tap the iCloud download button to download music from an artist, album or playlist. So you have immediate access to a huge music library without having to worry about the storage space on your device.

Anyone with an Apple ID in South Africa and selected other countries can use iTunes Match. You also need iTunes 10.5.1 or later on your Mac or PC and iOS 5.0.1 or later on your iPhone 3Gs or later, iPod touch (3rd generation or later) or iPad.

Which music formats can iTunes Match handle?

You can match or upload music formats that can be played with iTunes, including AAC, MP3, WAV, AIFF, Apple Lossless and more.

Yes. When you create, edit or delete a playlist on your Mac, PC, iPhone or iPad, those changes will sync across any iTunes Match–enabled device you own. However, playlists with videos, voice memos or PDF files will not sync.

Does iTunes Match stream or download songs?

On a computer, any songs stored in iCloud will stream over the air when played, though you can download them at any time by clicking the iCloud download button. iOS devices will start playing tracks from iCloud as they download and will store them so that you can listen to them later even if you don’t have a network connection. Apple TV only streams songs.

Will iTunes Match download songs over a mobile connection on my iOS device?

Yes. Go to Settings > iTunes & App Store on your device. Turn on Use Mobile Data. If you’d rather download over Wi‑Fi, turn it off.

What if I add new music to my library?Do I need to tell iTunes Match to scan it?

No. iTunes Match will automatically rescan for content, so you don’t have to. Although you can force a refresh by choosing Store > Update iTunes Match in iTunes.

What happens if I don’t resubscribe after the first year?Will I lose any upgraded songs?

No. Any songs you’ve upgraded or downloaded again are completely safe. The only thing you lose is the central storage — iCloud will no longer stream or download matched or uploaded songs to your devices.

How do I turn iTunes Match on?

On a Mac or PC, open iTunes and choose Store >Turn On iTunes Match, then click Subscribe. On your iOS device, go to Settings > Music > Subscribe to iTunes Match, and you can then upload your music library from your computer. When you’ve finished uploading, you can access your music library from your iOS devices by going to Settings > Music > Turn on iTunes Match. To turn on iTunes Match on Apple TV, go to Music > iCloud Library.

Does the Apple ID I use for iTunes Match have to be an iCloud account?

No. If you’ve been using a separate Apple ID for purchases, that Apple ID will also work for iTunes Match. You should use the Apple ID that is associated with the majority of your music purchases.

Automatic downloads and downloading previous purchases require iOS 4.3.3 or later on iPhone 3Gs or later, iPod touch (3rd generation or later), iPad or iPad mini; iOS 5 or later on iPhone 4 (CDMA model); or a Mac or PC with iTunes 10.3.1 or later. Previous purchases may be unavailable if they are no longer in the iTunes Store. Download iTunes free.

iTunes Match requires iOS 5.0.1 or later on iPhone 3Gs or later, iPod touch (3rd generation or later), iPad or iPad mini, or a Mac or PC with iTunes 10.5.1 or later. Limit of 25,000 songs. iTunes purchases do not count towards limit. Access to some services is limited to 10 devices.

Refers to the total number worldwide. Not all content is available in all countries.